Westport News

Present:    Lisa Arnold (LA), Bob McCarthy (BM), Warren Messier (WM), Tony Vieira (TV), Hugh Morton (HM), Tracy Priestner (TP), Jack Baughan (JB),Chuck Goldberg (CG), John Miller (JM)

1.     LA, Chair, opened the meeting at 7:00 pm with the traditional salute to the flag.

2.    Minutes:
TV made a motion and HM seconded the motion to approve the minutes of February 24th and March 3rd as presented.  The vote was unanimous in favor.

3. Other:
    a.    The audit report on the Landfill was distributed to all members.  BM made a few comments that the report was not accurate because the auditor did not speak directly to the Board of Health.  LA told the members to read it and let the Fincom now if it merits bringing back the Board of Health at a later date to discuss.

    b.    LA then asked for a show of hands for adding Thursday, March 26th as a meeting and it was 6 to 3 in favor with the clerk not being there to take minutes.  It was decided that she would watch the tape after and do the minutes from that.

    c.    LA then briefly went over the methodology of the blackboard exercise and will discuss it further at a future meeting.

4.    Budget Hearings:
a.    COA:    Mary Ellen Gomes, Director of the COA, was in attendance and presented the proposed FY10 budget for the COA.  She started by distributing an updated budget.  (See attached.)  She commented that 4,203 people in town are over the age of 60 and will utilize the services at the COA.  Of that number, 131 are over the age of ninety.  She spoke much of the services offered by the COA and that they receive several grants and donations that supplement the budget.  She ended by saying without the grants and donations, her budget would be much higher.

b.    Planning Board:    John Montano and Jim Whitin of the Planning Board were in attendance and presented the proposed FY10 budget for the Planning Board.  They started by explaining to the Fincom a little of what the duties of the Planning Board were.  They then handed out some supplements to the budget, which gave a snapshot of the finances to date.  (See attached.)

c.    Weights & Measures:    Warren Messier, Fincom liaison to the Weights & Measures Department, presented the proposed FY10 budget for the Weights & Measures Department.  He went over the small budget, which is offset by fees collected.  He also mentioned that the Sealer of Weights & Measures has been looking at raising the fees in the Town to make them more comparable to other towns in the area.

d.    Building Department:    Ralph Souza, Building Inspector and Nelia Williams, Principal Clerk were in attendance and presented the proposed FY10 budget for the Building Department.  Mr. Souza talked about funding the Assistant Local Inspector position.  He spoke about some new laws that require permits, which will increase his workload.  He did speak a little on the difference between the inspectors.  Some discussion ensued regarding the revolving account and the increase in revenue from the new permits.  

    e.    Veterans Grave/Services:    Tracy Priestner, Fincom liaison to the Veterans Department presented the proposed FY10 budget for the Veterans Department.  She spoke to Ron Costa, the Veterans Agent, and he said that his expenses were mandated by the state and that if he did not meet the mandate, they would deduct 30% off state aid.  Many questions were asked if we are able to combine services with another town.  At this time, it seems that it is mandated by state law to have a veterans agent in town.

6.    Other:    
LA distributed an updated schedule of hearings going forward.  She did mention this was subject to change since some departments weren’t confirmed yet.  
LA thanked JM for his thank you letters to Paul and Jane.
LA spoke that there may be some regional meetings that may be of interest to the Fincom.
JM spoke about the hearing the School Committee held on their budget.  He said they are voting on March 24th to approve the budget.
LA said she read an article that the state budget is still short for FY09 and we may see more cuts on state aid this year.

Adjournment and next meeting: There being no further business to come before this meeting, JB moved and CG seconded a motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:05pm.  The vote in favor was unanimous.   The next meeting will be March 17th at 6:30 pm.
                            
Respectfully submitted,
Nicole Botelho, Recording Secretary